Monday, June 15, 2009
Reliving the safari
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Estates Gazette
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The stars pay their dues...
Friday, July 6, 2007
Fundraising update
Captains Log Part One
“We need a skipper. Someone we can rely on, trust profusely, is highly organised and has quite exceptional motivational chat.” This was the teaser I was faced with around closing time one Thursday night in the local by Will Sykes. Timing your moment is key and after consuming just a few light ales that evening Team GB had their skipper for the 2007 Texas Water Safari.
6 months later I was on a 10 hour flight to Houston, Texas. My brief simple; Provide logistical support to a team of 5 Englishmen (sorry AK – 4 Englishman and a Welshmen) by rendez-vouzing at up to 13 different meeting points down the San Marcos and Guadelope rivers over the course of 4 days. The next few paragraphs are an overview of the Captains role at various check points in the wacky races of canoeing…..
Day 1
Starting grid – Team GB are in the zone and sure as hell look the part. The Yanks are clearly a little apprehensive. Has to be the kit! I walk through the parade of spectators chin held very high…. I then had a moment of panic and uttered a short prayer. Please don’t capsize on the starting grid and get mown down by 100 canoes (I had seen two quite spectacular efforts in practise)! Did they – no! It was sheer professionalism so much so I didn’t even have time to finish my latte before the team had rounded the bend and were on their way to navigating 262 miles.
Cottonseed rapids – A big crowd gathered for this one. Word of Team GB has spread amongst the Texans as I arrive (after a fine breakfast I may add) and people started to approach me. I’m asked for the first of 1000 times why we’re here. “We’re here for a charity fund racer” I say. “That’s awesome man” says Brad. “And you’ve come all the way from England?” says Kara. “Yes” I answer. I then hear my first “whoaaaaaaa” as Brad high fives me. I was disappointed it wasn’t a “yeeeha” but I wasn’t going to mention that. Cottonseed rapids were indeed treacherous and had caused chaos for dozens of boats including the Cowboys 6 man canoe to get ripped in half! I waited patiently reassuring the crowd that Team GB would conquer these rapids no problem being total experts in the art of white water rafting. It was then I saw them. The moment I had been waiting but alas Team GB had portaged 100 yards away and had opted not to navigate them. I was very disappointed.
Luling Dam – Luckily I’d met the boys here during training or else I would have struggled, having first gone a little out the way to visit Walmart and buy 150 gallons of water and a few kilograms of ice. It was then I realised that I was nothing short of a mule as I power lifted a crate of water and ice 150 metres to the waters edge. “Are you the Team Captain for the British Team” asked Rory. Not wanting to state the obvious that I was hardly a groupie I politely informed him I was. “Man you’ve got the hardest job in the world. Make sure you’re always there cos in this heat (it was 33 degrees and 90 % humidity) those boys will need y’all to be there or they’ll never finish. Don’t miss a check point!” I was now worried as well as exceptionally pissed off that he didn’t offer to help.
After a 30 mins wait and being quizzed again as to how we heard of the race, where we’d come from and what we were doing there Team GB finally turned up! Boy was I relieved. 7.5 hours in and they were in remarkably good spirits. It was time for the exchange as I provided ice blankets and water. See you at the next check point they yelled! It was in 5 hours time. Not being in a rush I then had a beer with Sandy, Betty, Smitty and Ronny. I needed it! This was shaping up to be a very surreal yet very amusing trip!
Gonzles Dam – It was by now dusk and the huge crowds had gone. It was clearly now time for the professionals. Deck chair out I was again camped out waiting patiently and consuming a “cold one” when the boys arrived. I had been there 3 minutes. No rest for the wicked as I transferred over more water and ice.
Again, there spirits were up and their was no doubt they would conquer the World’s toughest canoeing event. I re-assured them that they were the peoples choice and they were indeed canoeing for England and the Queen. The crowd looked perplexed but I was touched when a group of kids said we love Team GB.
Palmetta State Park – It was now dark and the whole race was now buzzing. This was awesome largely because it was dangerous. With the water at the highest levels for years the bridge was now a few feet underwater where in previous years a 4 feet gap would allow canoes to pass under. First up a tandem attempted to portage in the middle. This was not the way to do it as one guy got sucked under by the current and was taken under the bridge before resurfacing 20 metres downstream. Whooooooooooaaaaaaaaa he went. I didn’t blame him. Although life-threatening that was a true crowd pleaser.
Team GB arrived. They looked startled. Definite fear in their eyes and it was hardly surprising having heard the other experienced crews explain how the river was tougher than usual with more log jams and other debris in the water. One chap even said he saw a roof top! They took a well deserved a rest and asked about trouble ahead. Monkey island I told them. Avoid monkey island.
Luling Highway 80 – 4am – How I got here I have no idea. I must have gone up and down a deserted pitch black road for an hour until I saw a solitary flashlight by a bridge and made for it. Having then traipsed through the undergrowth encountering poison ivy and swarms of mosquitoes I realised why this checkpoint had been avoided by the other more experienced captains. 1.5 hours later and several beers later with my new found friend and co-drinker (James C Jefferson – who informed me in Texan how he was actually English) Team GB came round the corner. The surprise of seeing me in the middle of no-where did not go unnoticed.
Monday, July 2, 2007
About this Blog
Over a few pints in early December a couple of us touted the idea of undertaking an endurance event to raise money for charity, the following criteria was set to help decide on the chosen event
1. Uniqueness - needs to be random and preferably pointless
2. Teamwork - or else I'm giving up at the first hurdle.
3. Difficulty - needs to be very challenging and dangerous (somewhat)
4. Travel - needs to be far enough away so friends and family can't come and watch us fail miserably
5. Charity - has to be different from your usual fund raising events and needs a WOW factor with a bonus of improving AK's bar chat.
We spent a few weeks scouring the web and adventure magazines for an event that met the above criteria until came upon this article in Forbes magazine and our challenge was found:
"Texas Water Safari, a three-day, team canoeing adventure that runs 262 miles non-stop along the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers from San Marcos to the Gulf of Mexico near Corpus Christi. Founded in 1963, the palm-blistering race has its share of wet and wild challenges, including steep drop-offs, swirling dam currents, treacherous water moccasins and occasional canoe-crunching log jams.
Legend has it that back around 1962 Frank Brown and Bill “Big Willie” George decided to take their “V” bottom boat, without a motor, from San Marcos to Corpus Christi. They accomplished their mission in about 30 days and decided that other people should have the opportunity to experience the same journey. So in 1963 they set up the first Texas Water Safari. The Safari is a long, tough non-stop, marathon canoe racing adventure, which traverses 260 miles of challenging rivers and bays. Although the rate varies from year to year depending on water conditions, in previous Safaris as few as two teams out of sixty starters managed to reach the finish line. Many participants enter the Safari with no intention of winning, but with aspirations of joining the elite group of finishers and earning the coveted Texas Water Safari patch. Entrants must have all provisions, equipment, and items of repair in their possession at the start of the race. Nothing may be purchased by or delivered to a team during the race except water and/or ice. During the Safari, teams may not receive any assistance of any kind except verbal (or water). Teams must be prepared to travel day and night, non-stop to be competitive, but teams who occasionally stop for sleep have been able to reach mandatory checkpoint cut-off times and cross the finish line by the 100 hour deadline. The drop out ratio can be as high as 95%." - Forbes March 2005
Further research dug up similar articles, including a 1999 Houston article which led with " The Safari tests brains, strength, endurance and the willpower to persevere when you're puking out of your boat. And pissing in it." I hope this blog provides some amusement and tells a good story.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Rare picture from day one!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Workin' nights
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The Finish Line Charge
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The Finish Line
Saltwater
We have met the guys at Saltwater and they were doing really well and we have some footage of the guys which really reflects the TWS and our trip (I will reformat to mpg to circulate). We planned to meet them at a footbridge and suprise them and play The Final Countdown. Fortunately we had the wrong boat and refrained from jumping out from the bushes as I don't think us making them capsize would have gone down well and the crowd may well have turned on us. We then met them on a footbridge 8 miles from the finish line and showed them the beers and promises of hot showers, bedding and cool doritos for Sykesy with 'Jerusalem' in the background. 'For the Queen.........and Wales' was the last thing we heard from the boat as they paddled off into the night and took on the final hurdle......
Final bulletin to follow........
Excuse for being late!
"I had some blueberry desert last night and was shi**ing like a tied coon''. The guy saw the bemused looks on our faces and kindly expalined that when a racoon is tied up it panics and tends to defecate upon itself. Not exactly sure why you would tie up a racoon but there you go...........
Cleaner updates to follow
Monday, June 11, 2007
Celebratory Curry
2 checkpoints, 23 miles to go
Great news, the guys have reached the penultimate checkpoint before Seadrift. Words really can't describe how well they're doing-104 miles in 25 hours (53 hours since we started), 23 miles to go and it's 32 deg c. The 23 miles to go includes 4 log jams and the bay crossing to the traverse. The bay is waist height and they will need to put a splash cover on the boat to stop the waves entering the boat and weighing them down but they are very determined. We will be playing the national anthem and saluting them, singing with a tear in our eye as they get near to the finish line, spurring them on.
Tell Wallsy to have his chequebook at the ready........
The champagne is now officially 'on ice'.
Victoria
Fog
The locals have taken to our kit and there has been talk of us winning the unofficial best dressed category - not exactly as prestigious as the GQ award but better than a kick between the legs!
100 miles to go
I don't think I explained why Dauman and I left the boat - Dauman suffered from heatstroke and my exit was planned - basically my role was to 'Beast it' until we had broken the back of the race and then leave. Dauman's heatstroke has left him somewhat jaded but after numerous litres of water he's now back to 46 percent and rising. More illliterate updates to come.
Update from Sunday evening
Dauman, Westy and I are waiting for the guys at the next checkpoint and reports from the people in front of them are very positive.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
AWOL
Sykes is quoted pre-race in the San Marcos Daily Record:
One crew that doesn’t have near that experience is the unlimited five-man British crew, who hadn’t seen much of the River past Palmetto State Park before the start of the race. In fact much of the race will be full of surprises for the British.“It might take us more than a year to finish,” crew member William Sykes said. The British raised 30,000 dollars for charity by doing the race and will compete in a boat that won the TWS in 1998, part of Bugge’s fleet. As for the Brits’ token attempt to convince Bugge to ride with them, it was short lived. “He took one look at us and said no way,” Sykes said.